Song for a Whale is one of the sweetest and most uplifting stories I've read in quite some time. It's about family and friendship. I loved all the characters, but the whale was definitely my favorite. This whale warmed my heart. A magical read.

>This beautifully written middle grade follows the story of Iris, a deaf girl and Blue 55, a possibly hearing impaired whale. Blue 55's voice is different than other whales and so he is alone in the water, trying to belong to another pod, but mostly unsuccessful in his communication.

Until Iris gets an idea. She knows what it's like to have a hard time communicating. Sometimes with her family. Sometimes with her classmates. the only other people who really get her are her grandparents.

I love how Kelly dives into deaf culture and the nuances that deaf and hard of hearing people encounter in every day life. For instance, some casual sayings don't make sense in American Sign Language and therefore have to be altered. It was interesting knowledge that was peppered through the book as we see Iris grow more confident. I'm actually taking ASL classes so this was extra special for me to read as I had just gone over some of these topics with my teacher.

>I love love love how smart Iris is. She loves science and fixing broken objects. This girl has a lot of heart and a lot of character. Iris's family dynamic was also really well written. I like how different each family member was in relation to Iris, her dad verses her brother and her mom and the complicated frustrations that each brought to the table. And of course, I love her grandparents. The memory of her grandfather is so strong you could feel him through the book. And her grandmother is such a character! It was wonderful to see how brave they were during their trip, embracing life and choosing to go on adventures even if the rest of the family didn't understand.

>Overall, I think <em>Song for a Whale</em> is a special book. Its about identity and family and the difficulties of expressing yourself, who you are and your needs. It's about family and science, and really self. And embracing who you are.</p>
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This is an excellent realistic fiction title for middle grades (4th-7th approx.) I have recommended it to my students, and many of them bought it from our Scholastic bookfair. I also have several copies in my school library. I really appreciated this book, as the main character has a hearing loss, which is not common in many middle grade titles. Great for diversifying my collection.

I downloaded this book thinking that it was a small children’s book, but it wasn’t. I would recommend this sweet story to children over 10 for sure.

"In the spirit of modern-day classics like Fish in a Tree and Counting by 7s comes the story of a deaf girl's connection to a whale whose song can't be heard by his species, and the journey she takes to help him."

-Wonderful story, focuses on a deaf 12 year old who has issues communicating with everyone around her. Story is thought provoking and intelligent. Great for a middle grade reader. Enjoyed all he characters a lot. The story was amazing, totally buy it!

While this book does have a breathtaking cover, the story inside is so much more! Iris is a believable and imperfect, but still a character that I loved and cheered for. I was pulled into this story and did not want to put it down!
Iris is 12 and also Deaf, which is not a problem for her, but does make it difficult for her to connect to other students in her public school. This is a coming-of-age, finding-your-voice story, and it is done exquisitely. I loved the symmetry of the book - there were so many connections throughout the story, bringing together seemingly unrelated elements of deafness, whale songs, old radios, icebergs, planets. You can tell that the author did her research, and she inserts facts seamlessly through the story. I absolutely adored the ending - it is a perfect MG book, and one of the reasons I love MG books the best!
If you loved From the Mixed-Up Files of Mrs. Basil E. Frankweiler, you will love this book, and Iris too. (There are no references to Mixed-Up Files, just similar elements that I think make books like this well-loved by kids!) I can’t wait to share this book with my students and MG-loving friends!

It starts off slow and kind of dense, but once the action begins, it's hard to resist the story as it drives forward. It reads as a true epic, one that makes you feel the world really has been reshaped as you read it. Would recommend.

I wasn't sure what to expect, but I enjoyed reading this. An interesting story with fun characters. Well written.

This book touched my heart! What an interesting way to convey the loneliness that can come along with hearing impairment. The whale in the story is slightly anthropomorphized, which I didn't care for, and I thought the end strained credulity a little, but these issues didn't affect my overall enjoyment of the book. Would strongly recommend for purchase.

SONG FOR A WHALE is a book you want to hug when you finish. I just loved and adored it. Iris is a character I want to share with my students. She's has heart and sass which endeared me to her. I'm a big fan of stories with strong relationships between grandparents and their grandchildren. I highly recommend SONG FOR A WHALE. It would make a wonderful read aloud for grades 4th-6th.

"Song for a Whale" is a fantastic piece of middle grades literature. I love the way the author intertwined the challenges of the hearing-impaired with the science of whale language. This book had a wonderful Jodi Picoult-type feel with the pairing of nonfiction information about whales and the story of a girl searching for her own place in the world. Highly enjoyable!

Lynne Kelly’s SONG FOR A WHALE is a stunning, emotional look inside the world of 12-year old Iris, a determined girl whose deafness often leaves her feeling alone and frustrated. Iris’s interactions with her hearing family, friends, and classmates are poignant and truthfully drawn, but it’s her soul connection with Blue 55, that shines especially bright. Kelly’s portrayal of deaf culture and relationships within the deaf community are deeply striking. Iris and Blue 55 have made a mark on my heart that will linger for years to come.

This book broke my heart. Iris is deaf and feels alone. She goes to school with all hearing kids who can't really talk to her, her father has never learned sign language, and her mother doesn't want her to transfer to a deaf school where Iris feels she would fit in better. When she learns about Blue 55, a whale who can't communicate with other whales because he sings at a different frequency, she makes it her personal mission to create a way to communicate with him so he will know he isn't alone. The only problem is that the whale is off the coast of Alaska, 3000 miles away from her home in Texas. Can she make it there and let Blue 55 feel heard?

3.5 A thoughtful middle grade read alike for realistic fiction similar to likes of Wonder or Fish in a Tree etc but with science bent.

I immediately fell in love with Iris, the main character in this book. Iris is deaf and the author does a brilliant job of explaining and making you feel a little of what it might be like to navigate school and family. Iris spends most of her days isolated at school, except for her interpreter, and when she learns about Blue 55, a whale that speaks at a different frequency than other whales, so is not really a part of a pod and swims alone most of the time. Iris does a lot of research on Blue 55 and tries to find a way to let Blue 55 know that he is not alone.
Each time I picked up this book, I couldn't wait to pick up where a left off and was rooting for Iris the whole time! Great book!

Iris has always been deaf. It's not so bad - her mom knows sign language, her grandma is deaf (so was her grandfather but he recently died) and she has deaf friends. But her mom wants her to go to a "normal" school and she has trouble fitting in when sometimes conversations go on around her. When Iris hears about a whale whose song is at a different frequency than other whales she decides he must be lonely and works to create a song just for him. Doing so leads to communication with an institute in Alaska that is trying to track him and eventually leads to Iris and her grandmother skipping town on a cruise to see the whale themselves.
This was really good - not only the aspects of deaf culture but the science with the whales, sound, and Iris's fascination with fixing radios. A really nice look at belonging as well.

*I voluntarily read and reviewed an ARC of this book. All thoughts and opinions are my own.*

I don't read much middle grade, but it is something I'm trying to change this year. Anyhow, I went into this novel thinking I wouldn't love it and I've have to change my expectations-- keep an open -mind for the younger crowd. Wow, I was so wrong.

This book is so beautifully written and before you know it, the characters will be pulling on your heartstrings. There I was sitting in the break room at work completely invested in this novel and realized I was having to hold back the tears. This book is an emotional ride because it is so easy to see why Iris cares about this whale so much.

Iris is an inspiration. She is such a cool character for us to follow along with. She is deaf, but she also repairs old timey radios in her spare time. She's an amazing mechanic and uses her skills to try finding a way to speak with Blue 55, the whale. Oh, and there are also a few chapters told from Blue 55's POV which really hit me in the feels.

I don't know what else I can gush about. I smiled, I laughed, I almost cried a few times, and I now really want to learn sign language and more about whales. I totally recommend this to everyone who likes contemporary novels and has some interest in whales. I have already recommended it to a few people at the library, so hopefully someone will pick it up soon.

Iris is named for a whale, thanks to her grandmother. Her grandparents play a big part in her life, in part because she is Deaf and they are Deaf as well--but her parents are hearing. Iris can talk to them in sign language, although her father could definitely be better at it. Despite this loving family, Iris is mainstreamed at a school without other Deaf kids and she feels isolated until she hears about Blue 55, a whale who is swimming around alone because his song is different than other whales.

Iris is really well-written from a tween perspective. She has a lot on her mind, and is really wrestling some normal issues, it's just that for her, so much of it is about being Deaf because that is where she is different and it changes her world. Her adventure with her grandmother in this book helps to put everything in perspective, and I love that it really helps her grandmother.

I'm interested to hear from the Deaf community about this book regarding that representation and the way the ASL is written out in this book. The author is a sign language interpreter who recommends learning sign language from Deaf teachers, which I hope is a sign that she has done her research and has characterized Iris well.

The metaphor here is pretty obvious: Iris and Blue 55 are the same. They are caught between two worlds, neither of which really understand them. Iris learns from Blue to keep trying to connect with others who seem fundamentally different from her. Blue learns from Iris that persistence pays off, that someone will provide you with a reason to hope. The other, subtler, message is that there's no such thing as perfect understanding, that sometimes close to the same frequency has to be good enough and everyone has to put in a little extra effort. This is a beautiful, well written story with a compelling plot and a healthy does of science masterfully mixed in. The climax is a bit fantastic but doesn't diminish the beauty of the rest of the book.

The main character in this book is a girl who is deaf but can fix radios, who creates shape poems in ASL, and who is determined to help Blue 55, a whale who sings at a frequency different from other whales. What a cool character!

The book instantly drove me to do some research about the real Blue 52. I'm sure kids would also be intrigued to learn more about whale songs and Blue 52. Readers also gain insight into what it feels like when you aren't able to be understood and deaf culture. I'm sure many readers will want to look up or learn some signs after reading, and the author helpfully includes a description of how to sign the title, "Song for a Whale" in the end papers.

I enjoyed the story concept (5 stars - concept), but sometimes was not able to picture the descriptions of some of the sign language or radio parts (3 stars - execution). I had to google to see pictures/videos or hear sounds in order to really understand what the character was describing. The author is a professional ASL translator so she clearly knows her ASL, but I'm unfamiliar with it so it was harder to understand. This is a book that would really benefit from pictures or videos to help with some of the understanding. I think a graphic novel version of this could be very successful, or something like Capstones "4D" books that include links to videos describing elements. How cool would it be for students to be able to hear the whale songs, the song she creates, see the radio models and parts she is talking about, and see demonstrates of some of the ASL terms (especially the shape poetry). In a book study, the teacher can supply these supports, but for the independent reader, it would be great if they added some additional back matter material or a link to a website that helped with this.